This isn’t actually a Huevos Rancheros review. Technically, this dish does not qualify. But as the referee of this shitty blog, I’m gonna let this one through. Maybe with a yellow card for faking it. But here it is – deal with it. Yer a grown up now.
I’ve been wanting to try this place for a long time. Even though it sez “Nuevo Latino” it’s very So Cal with a Yucatan influence. I think there’s usually long waits or some other reason why this place has not been my priority, cuz screw wasting your time waiting in any line on your day off.
Plus, they don’t have Huevos Rancheros on the menu. Instead they have Huevos Yucatan ($8.75) which is mostly similar, except for the totally needless addition of a slice of ham on top of the dish. One of my rules for HR’s has been that I shouldn’t have to ask for any changes, just take their version, whatever it is. Thus why I don’t order from places that add carne to their sauce. But this day something was in the air, maybe a breeze of forgiveness, a gust of awwfuggit. Yahaira’s doesn’t realize it yet but I did them a solid by putting up with their ham BS and putting them on the HR map. Hmm, maybe I should make a map.
Despite all these misgivings and bad omens, I’m glad to report that my culinary intrusion of “sin jamon, por favor” resulted in a very decent plate of Huevos Rancheros. Yahaira’s is smart and they make tostadas (you can see them if you sit at the counter) ahead of time to put under the eggs. They do swipe them with a thin layer of pureed black beans, which works quite well. I usually don’t like beans on my HR’s since most places put crappy canned whole black beans on the tortilla, but luckily here they seem to make and smash their own beans. And it’s just a smudge of soft bean paste, not a damn pile of hard ass solid beans. On top of that they place some quickly and perfectly cooked fried eggs, cover it in a slightly spicy tomato salsa with peas (!) and add some nice papas on the side. Since the tostada gets coated in beans and salsa it starts to soften a bit but it holds up well since they started off with a proper fried tortilla. This is a very decent breakfast plate. Even a very decent plate of HR’s.
The one downside: my partner asked for tortillas de harina to go with her omelette. They didn’t have that as an option. We figured its cuz they are from Southern Mexico where maiz is king. But they offer French Toast and French Fries so WTF? And their burros are made with Spinach Tortillas so there’s some weird happening in their fusion.
But their fake HR’s are worth checking out.
Yahaira’s Cafe 626.844.3254
698 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
yahairascafe.com
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